The pattern of weather over a long period of time. Weather patterns for about 30 years can be used to describe the ____ of a particular place.

The total amount of greenhouse gases released by a person, family, building, organization, or company each year. This includes the amount of greenhouse gases released from direct use (such as heating a home or driving a car) and from indirect use (such as the amount of fuel needed to produce a good or a service).

An energy-rich type of fuel that is created from dead plant and animal material trapped between layers of rock deep within the Earth. Over millions of years, heat and pressure transform this material. Some examples are coal, oil, and natural gas. Humans burn this to make energy. When burned, they release carbon dioxide.

A dark-colored rock that is mined from the Earth's surface and can be burned to create energy. This is a type of fossil fuel.

Sources of energy that take a long time to form, such as fossil fuels, because they take millions of years to make, and we are burning them more quickly than they are being formed.

A natural resource that can be made or regrown as fast as it is being used. Some examples are wind power or solar energy, which are both used to make electricity.

A natural community of plants, animals, and other organisms and the physical environment in which they live and interact.

A natural or human-made gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. The Earth's temperature remains just right because of these gases; otherwise Earth would be too cold for us to survive. Examples include carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, water vapor, and nitrous oxide. The three main gases are: carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor.

A colorless, odorless greenhouse gas that is released from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas. This is an example of a greenhouse gas and it has contributed the most to the increase in greenhouse gases that has led to global warming.

A colorless, odorless greenhouse gas that is produced when plants, animals, and garbage decay. It is produced naturally and as a result of people's activities. Methane is the most abundant greenhouse gas. Large amounts of methane are released by cattle farming (cows*), waste dumps, rice farming and the production of oil and gas.

A greenhouse gas that is released by chemical fertilizers and burning fossil fuels; it has a global warming potential 310 times that of carbon dioxide.

The process by which greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun and reflect it back to Earth rather than letting it leave the planet. If this did not exist, the earth's temperature would be too cold for humans to survive. Too much greenhouse gases, however, has led to global warming.

When air pollution causes the rain that falls to become more acidic. When this collects in bodies of water, this is harmful to plants and animals because they cannot survive in water with high acidity.

a substance that contaminates the air or water; these can cause problems in ecosystems as well as health problems in humans

This cycle is a process where carbon dioxide travels from the atmosphere into living organisms and the Earth, then back into the atmosphere. Plants take carbon dioxide from the air along with water and photosynthesis from the sun and use it to make food. Animals then eat the food and carbon is stored in their bodies and released. Most of the carbon they consume is naturally exhaled as carbon dioxide. The CO2 then is returned to the atmosphere where the plants use it again.

Ex: burning fossil fuels, deforestation, intensive agriculture

The purposeful clearing of forested land. It increases carbon dioxide in the carbon cycle, increasing the greenhouse effect.

Energy that is made from resources that nature will replace, like wind, water and sunshine. It is also called ""clean energy"" or ""green power"" because it doesn't pollute the air or the water the way that burning fossil fuels does. Examples of technologies and activities that reduce the use of fossil fuels include:

The movement of water in the ocean from one location to another. This is mainly caused by the density of water and the temperature differences in the water. Cold and salty (= more dense) currents tend to flow under warm currents, which remain on the surface.

1) The rise and fall of the ocean tides, 2) Wind, and 3) Thermohaline circulation

Water circulation caused by differences in temperature and salinity.

ocean warming causes coral reefs to die, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, the slowing down of thermohaline circulation

Warmer climate could make the water less cold and less likely to sink, slowing down thermohaline circulation. This could change the climate in places like Europe that have milder climates thanks to the warm currents in the oceans around them.

A measurement of how closely packed the particles of a material are. When particles are packed closely together, the material has greater _______.

The ocean absorbs heat from the Sun and ocean currents move that warm water all around the planet. Ocean currents are like highways that carry water around the world.

Ocean currents impact a region's climate depending on the type of water traveling to that location. For example, warm currents bring warm, humid climate.

The ocean absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere which reacts with water to form an acid. This destroys the shells of marine micromammals and they die, impacting important foodwebs.

An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.

Less oxygen dissolved in the water, which causes most marine life to either die, or, if they are mobile such as fish, leave the area. Habitats that would normally be full of life become, essentially, biological deserts.

A collection of marine debris in the North Pacific, three times the size of France. Marine debris is litter that ends up in the ocean, seas, and other large bodies of water and is harmful to marine life.

Clean up trash from shorelines, rivers, and other waterways that flow into the ocean.

the average climate of the entire Earth

When more and more greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, they trap more and more heat near the Earth's surface. As more heat is held within the Earth's atmosphere, the temperature near the Earth's surface gradually warms up. In other words, this occurs when there is "too much" of the greenhouse effect. Current climate models predict that average global temperatures will continue to rise.

A change in the global or regional climate patterns.

reduce carbon emissions, plant trees, take shorter showers, turn off lights, unplug or switch off devices, car pool or take public transport, walk or cycle, electric cars, recycle food and other items, dress to adapt to the weather (vs. use cooling/heating devices), eat less meat

Rise in CO2 levels, increase in ocean acidity and temperature, increase in severe weather (blizzards, hurricanes, droughts, etc.)

Climate change has consequences for our oceans, weather, food sources, and health.

A period of unusually dry weather that causes significant shortages of water for ecosystems and for humans.

L.O.W.E.R.N:

What people can use which comes from the natural environment.

The maximum number of a population that an ecosystem can sustain. Once this is reached, the amount of natural resources available begins to decrease and can no longer sustain the population.

A metropolitan area that's a lot warmer than the rural areas surrounding it.

When a species' population exceeds its carrying capacity and can no longer sustain itself.

a person who purchases goods and services for personal use

Planting only one crop in the same place year after year, usually on a very large scale, which is harmful for the environment. The soil becomes poor/degraded over time and farmers will use more chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which make their way into groundwater (watershed) or contribute to air pollution. Also, because of the factory-like scale of this, it's an inefficient use of energy and reduces the diversity of life.